My Soul To Keep
by PoeEtic
Summary: Cases of insanity have started to appear in London. Women attempt to kill others to "purify" them. Lizzie's maid Paula falls victim, but she seems to be coping oddly well with a replacement that has appeared at a suspiciously good time...


**Well, here's the obligatory memo you all deserve and, I'm sure, read. **

**Welcome to a Kuroshitsuji fanfiction like no other. Or rather, welcome to a Kuroshitsuji fanfic that involves an OC, but will not have a Mary-Sue running around that makes everyone fall in love with her at a glance. Sebastian will not suddenly be attracted to her or feel compelled to protect her. Ciel will not trust her right of the bat. Men will not fall at her feet. **

**I've been reading fanfiction for a few years now, and I am always appalled when it comes to the OC department. People don't seem to think about their characters or the story they're writing them into. It's important as an OC author to take into account that you are borrowing somebody else's story and characters. They are not yours. It is not polite to change those characters to fit an OC that is essentially a copy of yourself (or the person you wish you were). Instead, you should change your OC to fit into the plot and interact with the characters as if the creator was actually behind your fanfiction. The OC should NOT have everyone fall in love with him or her. Most importantly, the OC should NOT be perfect or the ideal you. It's okay for your OC to be insane and half its flaws. It's okay for it to even be hated, as you may very well feel hatred for Alice early on in this story and even until the very end. That is okay with me. She is not a flat, static character. She will change throughout the course of the series. Most importantly, she is not me and I therefore will not take offense when somebody tells me they dislike her. If you do, then I may even be pleased.**

**This fanfiction has been created with those thoughts in mind. There are well written OC stories out there, and I find that the ones that tend to follow this formula are them. Some people look down on OC authors and stories, and often not for lack of good reason. Still, the same can be said for non-OC stories. A well-written fanfiction is truly a gem, and it is possible to find them in both categories. **

**The story to write about is the one you cannot get out of your head. If you feel compelled to create an OC story like I have, then please do so with the above in mind. I love reading about OCs, and I'm saddened that there aren't enough well-written ones out there. This is a tiny rant, but please take it to heart, future OC writers. It will be more enjoyable for your audience, as I believe I speak for everyone who has ever read an OC story and nearly gagged on the sheer awfulness.**

**Now that you've ignored all that, let's begin with a disclaimer, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji belongs to Yana Toboso. I do not claim rights to any plot or character that is a part of the Kuroshitsuji series.

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**

_Now I lay me down to sleep,  
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;

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_

"_Please, Father! I know I've only just graduated, but I beg of you! My soul is pure and unstained. My heart cries out with love for man! I wish to spread your Word and your Love on Earth with them! Please, Father! I bow before you with the hopes you'll allow me this mission!"_

"_**What a daring child you are...Making requests when you have only just been cleansed of all sins? Even the heavenly virgin, born without sin and pure throughout her life, did not ask so much of me."**_

"_I only wish to do good, Father! My goal is to spread your Good News and Generous Love with the son of Adam! I believe I can do much to accomplish it if only you would grant me this mission...I am compelled, Father! She cries out to me for an unknown reason, this child of Yours. Let me bring her happiness, my Lord."_

"_**Man will suffer. There can be no conversion without suffering. All of man will suffer. It is inevitable. But I am Gracious. I will show Mercy. I am slow to anger. I will grant you your request, but only if you understand what it entails."**_

"_I will suffer again, my Lord. I will suffer as your Son did to bring the Truth to Earth. Born again shall I be, helpless as He was when He became God the incarnate as a tiny babe. I accept this in the name of You, the Lord God my Savior. Happy are those who are called to Your supper..."_

"_**Go, my daughter. Mitigate their suffering with My Word. Beware Satan and his demons. Win souls for the Kingdom. Be reborn as a maiden who is a stranger to Satan's temptations and remain faithful to your Heavenly Father."**_

"_Amen."

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_

There is a curious smell filling her nostrils, making them twitch from the scent that is vaguely familiar, yet she cannot quite place what it is. It is refreshing to the senses, and even intoxicating. It is not so much a sweet smell, but one that cuts through her and makes her feel alive again.

_'Alive...'_

Her eyelids flutter, and suddenly she is aware that her body does not feel as if it is wrapped in the finest silk, but rather as if she is lying on top of an animal with fur that tickles her skin. Slowly opening her eyes, she finds herself face to face with a blade of green, and all at once she remembers.

_'Grass...That's the feeling of grass...And the smell...Oh, my...How strange...I thought I'd never forget it, but I suppose one does tend to lose track of the way things are here when they spend so much time in Heaven...'_

Sitting herself up, the maiden has to blink a few times to adjust to the lack of light. Looking above, she sees the sun is shining bright, a bird flying overhead with a lively song, and it surely must be daytime. But to her, this world is almost blinding with its darkness. Had she not been lying in the grass with the blades so close to her face, she doubted she would have recognized it. It takes awhile for her eyes to adjust, but eventually she can make out her own hands, and then her feet come into view. Her body is as naked as Adam and Eve were when they were first created, and it takes her a moment to realize that the uncomfortable feeling wrapped around her tight is not the fault of the grass, but the slight breeze and chill in the air.

"How curious!" the woman cannot help but cry out with a strange amount of glee. "I've not felt this way in ages! Oh, my! How quickly one forgets the feeling of being human!"

Rising to her feet, she takes an unsteady step forward and laughs as she falls to the ground like a smashed drunk. The use of legs seems almost foreign now that she has been flying for nearly fourteen years.

Giggling and stumbling her way towards the chimney smoke she can see rising just above the treetops, she is the picture of a madwoman; naked, alone, and laughing to herself, it is no wonder the first human she comes upon is startled.

"Have you no shame?" the old woman shouts, aghast at the figure that approaches her. The tired eyes and valleys of her face stretch as she creeps closer, unabashed by the elder's squawking. "What are you doing? Foolish girl! Miserable wretch of a woman! Are you a whore?"

It seems like such a silly question to ask; there is no one there save for them in this secluded area of wood. Only a tiny cottage, which must belong to the old crow, bears witness. If she has a husband or any sons still alive, they are out and about at the moment.

"Oh, no!" the younger laughs. "Heaven forbid it! There are few occupations more sinful than that of a prostitute's! The Lord have Mercy on them! I was actually hoping you could provide for me a spare dress, ma'am. I do look a wreck, don't I? The Lord smiles upon those that offer charity to his other children."

Shaking and her head as if to clear it, the elderly lady asks, "And just what was a girl so holy doing wandering stalkers in the forest? Come along, now! Tell me inside..."

Following the shorter woman into her modest home, she smiles when the floor creaks, such a discordant sound she does not hear in Heaven, where gold and silver coat nearly everything that is not marble.

"I was sent by our Savior! Though at the moment, I cannot remember what it was he sent me here for...He works in mysterious ways, our Lord does. Every day is both a gift and a test!" she answers, smiling brightly at her.

Rummaging through a beaten up old chest, the woman scoffs at that response. "You'd do well to remember," she warns, tossing a light blue dress with some undergarments at her. "Do you even remember your name?"

"Not in the slightest!" the girl smiles again, as if this is a small detail that needs not remembering. "Thank you very much for the dress, though. God will remember such acts of kindness and charity!"

The elder woman sighs and watches for a moment as the strange maiden fumbles with the plain gown, looking lost and without a clue as to how to put it on. Without words, she reaches out for it and the girl obeys. Together they manage to dress her up so that she at least looks presentable, and the kindly lady even offers her a brush to untangle her hair with.

"No name...No idea what you're doing here...But such a childish curiosity and faith..." she hums to herself, reaching an old hand up to run her knobby fingers through the golden silk of the younger one's hair. A motherly air comes from her and a look of nostalgia graces the old woman's features. It is evident she had a daughter once upon a time. "I've the perfect name for you, my dear..."

"Do you?" she blinks her deep blue eyes, letting the elderly lady tie a ribbon that matches the light blue dress into her hair. "Your generosity knows no bounds, ma'am. I'm indebted to you."

"Yes..." she hums and there is a small smile creeping its way onto her ancient face. "Why, you look just like the Funtom Company's latest doll...Alice..."

"Alice?"

"Alice," she nods. "What a fitting name...Alice..."

"Alice..." the girl repeats again. "I like it...It's not my name, I know. But I like it all the same..." She curtsies and smiles at the helpful woman. "Such love...Thank you, ma'am. God smiles upon you."

"You'll be leaving? Then take some advice from an old hag."

"Of course, ma'am!"

She gives the newly dubbed Alice a stern look. "Don't spout religious nonsense so often. If your goal is to convert people to whatever religious association you're a part of, then I advise you to speak little of God. The harder you try to force a belief onto a person, the stronger they'll resist."

Alice frowns. "But, God-!"

"Take this advice, Alice," the woman holds up her hand. "The missionaries often fail to peacefully convert the Indians and Chinese because they are so forceful. You must respect others wishes and beliefs and gradually mold them to your own. Learn to play the game, Alice. It's the only way to survive in this world."

The once bright and cheery girl now looks down at her bare feet, her golden bangs shielding her eyes as her hands curl up into tiny fists. Her shoulders start to shake, and for a moment the self-proclaimed old hag is under the impression that she is crying. A surge of electricity seems to permeate the air, as if an invisible storm cloud has settled around the maiden. A sound akin to sobbing escapes Alice's form, but then she raises her head and gives a crazy laugh, her arms wrapping around herself to keep steady.

"HUMANS!" she suddenly cries. "What disappointments they are! Sin, sin, and sin again! God has only Ten Commandments! Is it too hard to obey them? Is it so difficult to obey the One that loves you more than anyone else? How the Heavenly Father cries! Slow to anger, merciful and gracious God!"

The old woman reels back; certainly this girl has gone mad. "W-who are you to say such a thing? Are you so pure? You're absolutely mad!"

Alice only laughs harder. She does not stop until her stomach is screaming with the stress of laughing so much and tears are leaking out of her eyes. All at once she composes herself with a last chuckle.

"Ah! Forgive me! Sometimes we get so upset watching man fail all the time...True happiness comes from the Lord...We only want everyone to experience it..." Alice sighs. "But still, we must remember that man does have his good points. Though for every act of Good there are two times the acts of Bad, we must remember that they are a race worth saving..."

"What are you...?" the woman gasps, terrified as the innocent looking Alice approaches her. She falls to the ground in her fright and scrambles against a wall, horrified as her steady steps creep ever closer.

Alice smiles at her. "I cannot allow the Reapers to interfere. I am sure they will see this in your Cinematic Record, and it would create problems for me..." The blond kneels next to her and places her hand over her eyes. A bright, white light starts to flash before her eyes, and the elderly woman cannot help but let out a scream.

"_Forget this meeting...Forget the hate...Cleanse your soul...Lift it up to the Lord..."

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_

Ciel Phantomhive was glued to the newspaper his butler Sebastian had brought him, carefully reading the article on the three women who had recently gone insane. At first it had started out as only queer, but inconsequential occurrences: an old woman donating everything she owned to the Salvation Army, selling her home and donating the money to charity, working in the soup kitchens, attending church services daily...Another soon followed the same pattern-the wife of a recently deceased shoe-maker. It was unimportant; people shrugged it off. But when the old crow and widow suddenly started to spew crazed rants about sinners, death, destruction, purity, and Doomsday, the citizens of London grew unnerved. The widow had even tried to murder someone with one of her husband's hammers, convinced it was the only way to "cleanse such a dirty soul". It was not long before she was carted off to an insane asylum, the hag following that very day.

Ciel had ignored this when it first came about. It was of no importance to him. There were matters of greater importance to attend to.

Then the third woman went insane, and now not only had the residents been disturbed, but the Queen herself. The latest victim of the insanity also made him feel a bit nervous since it hit so close to home. He remembered the call from his fiancee Elizabeth; he had heard how scared she had been.

"_Paula's gone mad, Ciel! Paula! Paula, LET GO! NO! CIELLLLL!"_

Luckily, someone had intervened before Paula slit her throat with a knife in an attempt to "purify" the noble girl. Paula was restrained and sent away, much like the two before her. Elizabeth had cried for days after, mourning the loss of her once cheerful, loving confidante. But she took comfort in her new maid, one she had squealed to him about.

"_Adorable! Simply adorable! Ciel, she looks _just_ like your Alice doll! She practically is one! She lets me dress her up in the most adorable clothes, and she doesn't mind coming along for the shopping! Her tea is fantastic, and she plays the most beautiful melodies for me! Oh, Ciel! She's like my own Sebastian, only in an adorable maid form! She does anything I tell her to!"_

He had grunted and focused more on his work than her as she went on and on about trivial, meaningless things. He was thankful she had not come in person, otherwise he would have had to pretend he was really listening. Why should he care about some maid servant of Lizzie's? He did not care how "adorable" she was.

She was insignificant, and he did not have time for playing games with girls and their maids.

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_If I should die before I wake,_  
_I pray the Lord my soul to take.

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_

**And there's the first chapter! Feel free to tell me your thoughts and opinions. Let me know if this is one to continue or not. Tell me your thoughts on the development so far. And let me know what you think of Alice. Did she inspire hate? Is she like the other angels we know of in Kuroshitsuji? If you answered YES to either question, then good! I'm doing my job! ;)**


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